Faltar Examples, Sentences & Quiz

Introduction

faltar means to be missing, to lack, and it is one of those verbs that shows up everywhere once you start listening for it. It is a regular -ar verb verb, and this page puts it to work: real example sentences in several tenses, grouped by use, two short passages that show the verb in context, the mistakes learners make with it, a ten-question quiz and answers to common questions. If you only learn one sentence, make it «Yo falto todos los días» — I be missing every day. The rest of this page builds out from there, tense by tense, so you can use faltar the way native speakers do — in the present for habits, in the past for finished events, and in the subjunctive after wishes and doubts.

Faltar in real example sentences

In the present: everyday use

The present is where faltar lives most of the time — routines, facts and what is happening now:

  1. Yo falto todos los días. — I be missing every day.
  2. Tú faltas en el trabajo. — You be missing at work.
  3. Él falta con mi familia. — He bes missing with my family.
  4. Nosotros faltamos por la mañana. — We be missing in the morning.

Talking about the past

In the past, choose the preterite for a finished event and the imperfect for a habit or background:

  1. Ayer yo falté por la tarde. — Yesterday I bed missing in the afternoon.
  2. Antes, yo faltaba todos los días. — In the past, I used to be missing every day.
  3. La semana pasada él faltó dos veces. — Last week He bed missing twice.

Plans and things already done

The future, the conditional and the present perfect round out the picture — plans, hypotheticals and recent events:

  1. Mañana yo faltaré sin falta. — Tomorrow I will be missing without fail.
  2. Si tuviera más tiempo, yo faltaría ahora mismo. — If I had more time, I would be missing right now.
  3. Hoy yo he faltado dos veces. — Today I have bed missing twice.

More everyday uses

The subjunctive, the imperative and the progressive cover wishes, commands and actions in progress:

  1. Espero que tú faltes pronto. — I hope You be missing soon.
  2. ¡falta, por favor! — Be missing, please!
  3. Ahora mismo yo estoy faltando. — Right now I am bing missing.

Faltar in context

A short dialogue

Ana: «Yo falto en el trabajo.» — I be missing at work. Luis: «¡Qué bien! Yo falto con mi familia.» — I be missing with my family. Ana: «Mañana yo faltaré sin falta.» — Tomorrow I will be missing without fail. Luis: «Si tuviera más tiempo, yo faltaría ahora mismo.» — If I had more time, I would be missing right now. Ana: «Hoy yo he faltado dos veces.» — Today I have bed missing twice.

A short paragraph

Ayer yo falté por la tarde. Antes, yo faltaba todos los días. Hoy yo he faltado dos veces. Mañana yo faltaré sin falta.

Yesterday I bed missing in the afternoon. In the past, I used to be missing every day. Today I have bed missing twice. Tomorrow I will be missing without fail.

Common mistakes with faltar

1. Using the imperfect for a finished event

Wrong: Ayer yo faltaba.

Right: Ayer yo falté.

Yesterday's finished action needs the preterite, falté. The imperfect faltaba describes what used to happen or what was going on, not a single completed event.

2. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger

Wrong: Espero que tú faltas.

Right: Espero que tú faltes.

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: faltes, not the indicative faltas. Wishes, hopes and doubts all trigger this change.

3. Using the affirmative imperative after no

Wrong: No falta.

Right: No faltes.

Negative commands use the subjunctive-based forms: no faltes. The affirmative falta can never follow no.

4. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

Wrong: Yo faltar todos los días.

Right: Yo falto todos los días.

The infinitive faltar names the action; it never works as the main verb of a sentence. Conjugate it for the person: yo falto.

5. Confusing the gerund with the past participle

Wrong: He faltando.

Right: He faltado.

The perfect tenses use haber plus the past participle: he faltado. The gerund faltando goes with estar for actions in progress («Estoy faltando»), never with haber.

Quiz: faltar in use

Test yourself on faltar in use. Choose the correct answer, then check the key below.

1. What is the nosotros/as form of faltar in the present indicative?

- (a) falta
- (b) faltas
- (c) falto
- (d) faltamos

2. What is the vosotros/as form of faltar in the preterite?

- (a) falté
- (b) faltó
- (c) faltaste
- (d) faltasteis

3. What is the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of faltar in the future?

- (a) faltará
- (b) faltaré
- (c) faltarán
- (d) faltarás

4. What is the yo form of faltar in the present perfect?

- (a) he faltado
- (b) has faltado
- (c) ha faltado
- (d) hemos faltado

5. What is the nosotros/as form of faltar in the imperfect?

- (a) faltaba
- (b) faltaba
- (c) faltábamos
- (d) faltabas

6. What is the gerund of faltar?

- (a) faltando
- (b) faltado
- (c) faltar
- (d) falto

7. What is the past participle of faltar?

- (a) faltado
- (b) faltando
- (c) faltar
- (d) falté

8. Which sentence uses faltar correctly?

- (a) *Yo falto todos los días.* — I be missing every day.
- (b) *Yo faltar todos los días.*
- (c) *Yo falta todos los días.*
- (d) *Yo faltas todos los días.*

9. Which sentence uses faltar correctly?

- (a) *Ayer yo faltaba por la tarde.*
- (b) *Ayer yo falté por la tarde.* — Yesterday I bed missing in the afternoon.
- (c) *Ayer yo faltar por la tarde.*
- (d) *Ayer yo falto por la tarde.*

10. What does faltar mean?

- (a) to be surprised
- (b) to be missing, to lack
- (c) to annoy
- (d) to miss

Answer key

1. (d) — In the present indicative, the nosotros/as form of faltar is faltamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 2. (d) — In the preterite, the vosotros/as form of faltar is faltasteis. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 3. (c) — In the future, the ellos/ellas/Uds. form of faltar is faltarán. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 4. (a) — In the present perfect, the yo form of faltar is he faltado. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 5. (c) — In the imperfect, the nosotros/as form of faltar is faltábamos. The other options are the same tense but different persons. 6. (a) — The gerund of faltar is faltando. It is used with estar for the progressive: «Estoy faltando». 7. (a) — The past participle of faltar is faltado. It follows haber in all the perfect tenses: «he faltado». 8. (a) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of faltar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 9. (b) — Only this sentence pairs the right person with the right form of faltar; the others mix a person with another person's form, or use the infinitive instead of a conjugated form. 10. (b) — faltar means «to be missing, to lack».

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I be missing' in Spanish?

Say «Yo falto todos los días». That is the present-tense yo form, and it is the sentence you will use most with this verb.

How do you say 'I bed missing' about yesterday?

Say «Ayer yo falté por la tarde». The preterite is the tense for a finished event: yesterday, last week, last night.

Is faltar reflexive?

No — faltar is not reflexive. It conjugates without a pronoun: yo falto, tú faltas, él falta. If you see a -se form of a similar verb, that is a different verb with its own meaning.

Which tense do learners find hardest with faltar?

Most learners struggle with choosing between the preterite and the imperfect, not with the forms themselves. Use the preterite (falté) for a single finished event and the imperfect (faltaba) for habits and background. After that, the subjunctive is the next step.

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